Second Chance
by nycscribe46
Summary: UPDATED The hiatus is over. The best 'what if' DBZ fanfiction is back with a new chapter-and it's a good one. This chapter features a Choose Your Own Adventure type-format. You decide what path the protagonist will take. Update in 3 weeks.
1. Chapter One

Author's note: Hi everybody, I'm just wandering around in the DBZ area to distract myself from the story I can't seem to continue over in the originals section…(gives muse a dirty look). Don't get me wrong, I'm a big DBZ fan, I watch whenever they decide to bless us with a new episode, I buy the manga, which can get confusing but is still fun, and I have way too many action figures and lots of spare time. I just wasn't planning on writing about it. In fact, if my muse hadn't abandoned me, I'd probably be uploading that second chapter right about now!

Andy muse: (cowers in fear) Um, there was a sale at Nordstrom's, and-

nycscribe46: Don't give me that! You promised me a really good scene in the car! It's bad enough no one sent me any emails…or even reviewed it…(begins to cry)

Andy muse: Oh, jeez, don't start crying. (tries to comfort nycscribe46) Someone will read it! It's a really funny story…

nycscribe46: *smiles* I know… (pulls a frying pan from behind her back) And we're going to keep it that way! (runs after Andy muse)

Andy muse: Aaaahhhh! For the love of God, will _someone_ read that story?!? It's not _that_ bad! Aieee! (nycscribe46 gets him with the cooking ware)

nycscribe46: On with the fic!

Second Chance

Chapter One

By nycscribe46

Three years had passed since the defeat of Cell. Since the greatest terror the world had ever seen was destroyed by a twelve year old boy. An incredibly powerful boy, but a child nonetheless. And on that same day, Kakarot had to upstage them all by sacrificing himself. Vegeta had trained tirelessly just for the opportunity to prove that he, Prince of all saiyans, was more powerful than Kakarot, some third class nobody. Who had saved his life, and the entire planet. More than once. And on and on, with Kakarot always reaching the pinnacle before himself. And now he was gone, and the challenge of defeating him someday gone with him. Now Vegeta had to satisfy himself with becoming more powerful than Kakarot had been at his death. Vegeta exerted his frustrations on the room Bulma and her father had built. Where he could train until his body could take no more. Where no one could hear him scream.

Bulma watched her son play with amusement. He was only four years old, and yet he sped around on that tricycle so fast it was a blur. Luckily, the Capsule Corp. grounds had plenty of room, so Trunks could make mini cyclones with his bike as often as he wished, as long as he steered clear of Grandma's gardens. Bulma looked away from Trunks for a second. The forecast for that day had been clear blue skies. But something strange was happening. It appeared as if the scarce clouds were gathering into a storm, directly overhead. "Trunks, I think we'd better head inside. Looks like the weather's getting pretty bad." 

Trunks looked up at the sky as well. It looked funny. "Not raining yet, Momma," he pleaded. "I don't know," Bulma muttered. This was not a typical cloud formation. The air just above and in front of them seemed to shimmer and break apart, and a void appeared. 

Bulma grabbed her son and prepared to run. Something small and dirty fell out of the void and onto the ground without a sound. The void closed and the skies cleared almost immediately. Bulma put Trunks behind her without much difficulty. The boy was already scared out of his wits and clung to her leg, whimpering. Bulma peered at the thing in front of her. It didn't move. She tiptoed over to it. It seemed to be covered by a filthy sack. With her fingertips, Bulma slowly peeled it off and flung it away. Beneath it was a girl. She was unconscious and covered in blood and dirt. "Oh man," Bulma whispered. The girl looked only about fourteen years old, and must have been through hell. "Trunks, go get your father," she ordered. Trunks nodded and ran inside. 

"Dad!" he called. He decided not to waste time, and went directly to the room where his father spent most of his spare time. Trunks banged on the door of the gravity chamber. Vegeta opened the door and glared down at him. "Why have you interrupted my training session?" Vegeta demanded. Trunks looked up at his father warily. "Mom said to come get you. She's outside." 

Vegeta was noticeably calmer now that he realized he had been interrupted for a reason. Trunks relaxed and took his father's hand to lead the way. Glancing up at him, Trunks added, "I think we better hurry. Something bad happened." "What?" Trunks noticed his father's tension and tried to describe what had just occurred. "The sky opened up, and there was thunder and lightning, and then there was a black thing, and more thunder and lightning, and another thing fell out, and I hided behind Mom, and Mom touched it, and it was really a person, and I went to get you." _"What!?!"_ Vegeta picked the boy up and ran. 

"Where is she?" 

Trunks pointed. "There," he said. Bulma was kneeling on the ground beside someone whose life force was very low. She turned around and saw them behind her. "Oh, Vegeta, thank goodness Trunks found you. Help me carry her inside." Vegeta set Trunks down and glanced down at the pathetic looking human Bulma was asking him to help. Bulma's eyes pleaded with him. "All right," he muttered. He picked her up and asked, "Where did she come from? Did she just somehow manage to materialize on our doorstep?" 

Bulma was about to answer when Trunks piped up helpfully, "That's what fell out of the thing! It's a girl, Momma?" "Yes, she is, Trunks. And we're going to help her. Come with me and get the medical supplies. She's going to need stitches. Vegeta, put her down over there. Poor kid, I don't know what could have happened to her to put her in that sorry state." Bulma went to go wash her hands. 

Vegeta stared down at the mess he had just set down on the operating table. There were burns and deep lacerations on her arms and legs. There was a nasty cut on her forehead and blood trickled steadily out of her mouth. Her right arm appeared to be dislocated. Dirt was encrusted in every cut, practically ensuring infection. And those were just the visible wounds. Bulma returned, sterilized, with latex gloves and a med kit. Vegeta left the girl's side and appeared disinterested, as he seated himself in a corner of the room.

Bulma was a little surprised that he hadn't returned to his training, but didn't say anything. She began to clean the wound on the girl's face. After she was done with that, she removed the burned and tattered remains of the girl's shirt. More topical damage, but nothing serious. Bulma continued tending to the girl's wounds. When she had sutured and bandaged her, she tried to replace her arm in its socket with some difficulty. Vegeta noticed this and got up to help her. "You don't know what you're doing, woman." 

Bulma was annoyed, but she stepped aside. "Fine, go ahead." Vegeta lifted the girl's arm and popped it back in. The sharp pain woke her up. She sat up suddenly . "Oww," she moaned. She looked around, confused. Then she saw Bulma and Vegeta, and fell off the table. She backed against the wall, fear evident in her stance. Bulma tried to reassure her. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help." 

The girl searched for an exit frantically. The only way out was behind the small woman and the hostile looking man. She knew she'd never make it out of there in her weakened state. Besides, the energy level coming from the man was terrifyingly high. She'd never felt anything like it. She looked down at her arm. Well, if the woman had taken the trouble to bandage her wounds, she might as well give her the chance to explain where she was and how she had gotten there in the first place. 

"All right. My name is Aki. I was in the middle of a battle against the rebels when one of the bastards pulled some odd piece of machinery out of his cloak and blasted it at me. I was knocked out, and now here I am. Where is this place, anyway?"

"You're in Capsule Corp.," said Bulma, just as Vegeta demanded, "A battle? Where?" Aki looked at Vegeta with a raised eyebrow. "In the capital city of the Eastern empire, Iftel. Surely you have heard news of the war. Unless you have been under a rock for the past three years." She then turned to Bulma. "What is this 'Capsule Corp.'? And how did I come to be in it?" Bulma tried to explain the strange event that had brought Aki to them. Aki listened, and then started to pace the room, muttering under her breath. "Impossible! How could the rebels have attained such an advanced weapon? They must have a spy in the government. But who? Who could possibly have enough power to steal such a devise without suspicion?" Suddenly Aki snapped out of her trance.

Bulma had been watching, amused. She looked just like Vegeta did when he was puzzled about something. In fact, now that most of the dirt had been washed away, Aki' s face looked quite familiar. Her straight black hair started in a widow's peak in the center of her forehead. She had thick black eyebrows that met when she was frustrated and intense dark eyes that had been focused and menacing, even when she was weak and had no idea where she was. Bulma's eyes widened. It couldn't be…

Aki began to interrogate Vegeta. "You say you have never heard of the Eastern Empire. Or Iftel. Correct?" Vegeta agreed, "Yes, but-" Aki interrupted him, her thoughts confirmed. "Then I was right. The device used against me is the same one that was stolen from the scientists. But without it…" Aki's voice faded. She couldn't speak. She was trapped. And now there was no one to help her country. No one except the pitiful army, which would fall in a matter of weeks. The rebels would execute her mother's cousin, the King, and all would be lost. She sat suddenly on the floor, unable to hold herself up any longer. All that had been keeping her going for so long had been winning the war, and taking her rightful place among the leaders of the state. And now it was impossible. Her eyes filled with tears. 

Bulma went to her side and said, "Hey, Aki. I just want to make sure you're all right. Can I get a blood sample?" Aki looked her, expressionless. She held out her arm without saying a word. Bulma took some of her blood and put it on a slide. She walked over to the microscope to examine it. Vegeta heard her gasp. Bulma ran out of the room. Vegeta yelled after her, "What is it, woman? Are you ever going to make lunch?" Bulma came back with two more slides and muttered, "In a minute, Vegeta. I have to see this." She took the slide with Aki's blood out, and put one of the other slides in. She peered into the microscope, mumbling in disbelief. Then she took that slide out, and replaced it with yet another, and more sounds of surprise followed, until both Aki and Vegeta were staring at her and shouted at the same time, "WHAT IS IT, WOMAN?!?" Bulma finally looked up from her microscope. Looking both annoyed people in the eye, she said with complete conviction, 

"Aki's a saiyan."


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Hello, and thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Andy muse: Yep, all two of ya. Stand up, and give yourselves a round of applause!

nycscribe46: We're going to ignore that for now, and keep writing anyway. But remember, people. Reviews are like food. You're starving me, man! And oh yeah, like you didn't know, I don't own DBZ. In fact, I don't own anything. I is one po' welfare nigga.

Andy muse: By the way, we're out of caviar. And I filled up the tank of the Benz like you asked. And-

nycscribe46: Do you want me to get the frying pan?

Andy muse: No, sir!

nycscribe46: Grrrrrrrrrrr.....

Andy muse: He, he *sweats profusely* On with the fic! *runs away*

Second Chance

Chapter Two

By nycscribe46

Vegeta stated with just as much conviction, "That's impossible. The only Saiyans left are myself, Trunks, and Kakarot's offspring. And what led you to that conclusion?" 

Aki approached Bulma with caution, and asked, "What is a saiyan?"

Bulma replied, "Saiyans are a race of people. And I wouldn't just say that as a guess. There are certain properties of your blood cells that strongly resemble saiyan blood cells. In particular, the blood cells that someone would have if they were only part saiyan. That's why your blood looks like Trunks'. Can I ask you a question, Aki? What do you know about your parents?" 

Bulma couldn't help but feel for the girl. She looked so pale and skinny, she was hardly a threat to anyone. Vegeta still glared at the injured girl, as if daring her to try something. 

Aki decided to ignore him, and attempted to answer Bulma's question. "My mother is-was-a member of the royal family of the Eastern Empire. She is dead. She was in self-exile before that. She never told me anything about my father, at least not directly." She hesitated. Bulma urged, "Go on. What did she say, indirectly?" Aki continued, "She told me a story when I was young. 

'There once was a prince whose entire planet was destroyed, and all his people lost. He felt as though he had failed, and guilt consumed him. He fought senseless wars and destroyed millions of lives in an attempt to forget the past and begin a future of dominating others. Finally he had his vengeance, when he was able to kill that which had taken his people and his land from him. The prince sought redemption at last, and wished to spend the rest of his life searching for peace. He found a new planet, and tried to fit in among the royals there.

His riches attracted the attention of the king, who sought the prince as an ally. The prince was not eager to join this king, for he had sworn to forsake war altogether, with nothing to fight for. The only reason the prince remained was the king's daughter. She was kind and forgiving and cared nothing of the prince's money or past. She only wanted him for the future, a future they would build together. They met in secret, until the prince felt he was ready to try and strike a deal with the king. 

He would give the king everything he had in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. The king refused. Apparently the prince was good enough to attend court and supply the king with goods and services, but not good enough for his daughter. He called the prince a barbarian, from an extinct planet of barbarians, and ordered him to leave. 

The prince was angry, but knew better than to try and argue with a king in the middle of his court, surrounded by guards and soldiers who would kill him if the king ordered it. He instead appeared to leave amicably, and left a message with a trustworthy palace servant for the princess. 'I will wait for you.' She must have known what he meant, for within two days she was gone. Rumors abounded. He was dead; she had run off with him, they were both dead. No one knew where they had gone. The king sent out search parties until he received a letter on stationary that could be found only in his own rooms.

It was unsigned, but as he knew the handwriting, a signature was unnecessary. It said simply, "I am with child. Would you want me now?' He ordered the searches to cease. He had no more use for his own child, for she could no longer be married off to the highest bidder. The princess waited in a small village far from her father's land. She never heard from the prince again, but she knew that he would have returned if he could. So she concluded that he must have perished. She raised his child as best she could, and never forgot him.'

That is where my mother ended her tale. I was unsatisfied, and asked her what happened to the princess after that. She told me that hopefully the child ate her vegetables, trained until she was as strong as her forefathers and went to bed on time. My mother never told me anything without a reason. I was not a particularly stupid child, or very gullible either. The story was too similar to my mother's own life for me not to realize that this was her way of telling me about the past. It's what fueled me to fight in the first place, trying to regain what she had lost, in terms of her status as rightful ruler. Since I was old enough to understand, she was trying to prepare me for the day when I was to go to the palace and take the throne. 

Unfortunately, my training had to be put on hold when the rebels threatened to overthrow the government. Mother insisted that she use her powers to help defend against the rebel army. I agreed, thinking that if she were to be seen using the power that only the highborn and those in power had, the government would have to acknowledge her as the rightful ruler. Most ignorant people talk of witches and sorcery and other such nonsense, but really, it's ridiculously obvious that since the beginning of civilization on our planet, a more advanced race of people evolved and sought to rule over the less powerful races, and over time, selective breeding guaranteed that only those in power possessed the energy. It's really just a coincidence-"

Vegeta interrupted her ramblings. "This energy you spoke of. Do you possess it?" Aki thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not nearly as powerful as my mother was. All I can do is fly, maintain shields and repel energy attacks. And only weak to moderate ones at that. She was teaching me more, but she was-" Aki bit her lip. "She was killed by the rebel army. That was three years ago." Bulma tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry, Aki. So you've been on your own since then?"

Aki nodded. A day didn't go by that she didn't curse her mother for teaching her nothing but defensive tactics first. She always insisted that it was better to run and live to fight another day, than to fight and go down in a contrived blaze of glory. But Mother, Aki thought, that's exactly what you did. Sent me ahead to breach security and infiltrate the commons, leaving the armory wide open for you to sabotage. It should have worked. But instead, you were ambushed, and rather than leave, you destroyed them all. And died in the process. And where are we now? What was the benefit of your actions? Tell me, Mother. Tell me!

"What's wrong with you, girl?" 

Vegeta was beginning to get annoyed. That child had been staring at him with anger and frustration in her eyes.

Aki blinked. She hadn't even remembered the other two people in the room. But there was no point in demanding answers from a dead woman.

"I-I'm sorry."

Bulma saw Aki's discomfort. Well, anyone who had been under the scrutiny of Vegeta that long deserved a break.

"Let's get you something to eat." Bulma took Aki's arm and led her out of the lab.

"No, I-" Aki started, then stopped. What was the point? There was no conceivable way for her to get home to a lost cause. What was she fighting for? She might as well take advantage of the woman's hospitality for as long as it was there.

"Never mind."

Bulma tried not to laugh. She could read the girl's emotions like a book. She didn't want to take anything from Bulma, even though she had nowhere to go, and no way to get there. Then that must have crossed the girl's mind, and she shut up immediately. Very similar to the way someone else had reacted to Bulma's hospitality a few years ago. Well, Aki had certainly brought a fascinating new concept with her. A device that could transport one, seemingly instantaneously, to another world. Amazing. 

Vegeta followed them to the kitchen, a few steps behind. He could sense the girl's energy. It was high, in human standards. Higher than Krillin's, to be certain. But low for a supposed saiyan. She obviously had not been training very hard. He was sure that she had felt his energy. She was almost immediately intimidated, but not by his scowl, that he was certain of. So she could sense ki. The story was a little off. He didn't know what to make of it. Bulma was obviously convinced, at least enough to have invited the girl into their kitchen. But then, there was the blood. That could not be faked. But how? How could she be a saiyan?

Bulma stopped at a small room just off the hall that they had been walking in.

"This is not the kitchen, woman."

"I know that, Vegeta. I'm getting something."

She came out with a device that was about the size of a child's practice ledger, or chalkboard.

Aki looked at it curiously. 

"What is that?"

"Hopefully, we can use it to figure out where you're from. It's kind of like a map of the known galaxies. At least, the ones I know."

They went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Briefs was making Trunks a sandwich.

"Hey Mom, you think you can make a few more of those?"

"Sure! Who's this?" Mrs. Briefs tittered and waved at Aki.

"This is Aki. She's going to be staying with us." 

Aki kept her eyes on her own feet, saying nothing.

At least until we can figure out who she is and where she came from, Vegeta thought.

Aki seated herself next to the purple haired little boy who was engorging himself.

She almost felt bad for the sandwich.

Trunks looked up at her and smiled with a mouthful of food.

"Hi!"

"Hello."

Trunks was sure that this was the same girl that fell out of the thing. Except now she was wearing one of Mommy's doctor coats, and shoes. And her face was clean. He swallowed his food, and asked her,

"So how did you get up there in that thing?"

Aki wasn't sure how to answer him. He was only a child, after all, and curious, just like she was at his age. She decided to tell him the truth.

"I got into a fight that I couldn't handle."

"Oh. My dad says to be prepared for anything. You should have trained harder."

Aki felt the side of her mouth tilt upward in a mirthless smile.

"You're right. I should have." 

She knew who this boy's father was. He was standing right behind her, watching her every move. It wasn't disconcerting. It was actually familiar, almost comforting in its familiarity. Being constantly measured was something she was used to. Her mother used to do it all the time. She had to; they were in a war, and she needed to be sure of what Aki could and couldn't do, and how she could be used. But why was this man acting in this way? It must have become glaringly obvious by now that she was not going to harm his family. Her power level was insignificant compared to his; even if she wanted to, she couldn't dare attempt anything even remotely hostile towards any occupant of this house. A plate was placed in front of her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. Trunks, would you like another?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically.

Aki started to eat her sandwich, and then it hit her.

"Aki's a saiyan."

"That's impossible, the only saiyans left are myself, Trunks, and Kakarot's offspring."

"…There are certain properties of your blood cells that strongly resemble saiyan blood cells. In particular, the blood cells that someone would have if they were only part saiyan. That's why your blood looks like Trunks."

The only saiyans left…

Aki stared at the innocent looking child sitting beside her. He had inhaled another sandwich and held out his plate, waiting for more. His grandmother was currently serving his father though. He would have to wait a bit longer. He must have an incredible metabolism; he would need one, to sustain all the energy Aki felt coming from him. He was far more powerful than she. He probably could have beaten her mother, and made a sport of it.

And he was only a small child.

His father was training him to be as powerful as himself.

His father…

She would see to it that she received his training as well.


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Unless you're a Native American. In that case, just try to ignore all those people celebrating the stealing, raping, and pillaging of your ancestor's land, and have a good weekend. But since this really isn't the place for me to express my opinions (see www.fanfiction.net's standings on NC-17 stories), I'll just get to the story. 

Disclaimer: And on the first day, Akira Toriyama created Dragonball and it was good. On the second day, he created Dragonball Z and it was very good (yeah Vegeta). On the third day, FUNimation took over the dubbing of DBZ and the world was plunged into darkness. The moral of the story is that I don't own DBZ.

Second Chance

Chapter Three

By nycscribe46

Aki forced herself to eat. Vegeta had ceased burning a hole in her back with his eyes when his food appeared in front of him. He ate just like his son, as if the food were trying to escape, and must be consumed as quickly as possible. Aki certainly knew what it was like to be hungry, and had probably looked like that at times. But her mother had taught her how to eat when you had company, and she behaved accordingly.

When she had finished, she looked around for Bulma. She wanted to see about this map.

She found the blue-haired woman sitting in a large room down the hall from the kitchen. The electronic map was in her lap. She glanced up when she heard Aki enter the room. 

"I see you've finished your lunch. Or did you lose your appetite when you saw the way my husband and son like to eat?"

Aki froze, unsure of what to say. Then she realized that Bulma was joking, and forced a small smile.

"I managed."

"Good. Now, I'd like to ask you if you can find your planet on this thing. It's okay if you don't have a good knowledge of astrology. Not a lot of people your age do. We'll just give it a shot, all right?"

Aki nodded, and knelt beside Bulma's armchair.

Bulma slowly turned a dial on the device, and it was like the viewpoint on the screen pulled back to show the whole universe. Aki stared, fascinated.

Bulma began to reel off names of different solar systems and galaxies, but none of them made sense to Aki. She tried to focus on the pictures of them instead, hoping to see something she recognized from a book, or the night sky.

Bulma pointed to bright swirls of light as she named them. A few sounded vaguely familiar, but long forgotten, from the days her mother had tried to make a scholar of her. 

"And this is the Milky Way Galaxy. Our solar system is in this galaxy, in which this planet and eight others are contained, along with their various moons, and the sun."

Aki looked at the place that Bulma was pointing at.

"I've seen this picture before."

"Really? Where?"

"One of my mother's books. It was a long time ago. She was reading it, but she stopped because she said it was pointless; neither of us would ever get to see anything outside of our own planet, so why bother reading about it? I think…I think I know something about this place. Our planet is also contained in it. But most of the planets here are uninhabitable. That's why our planet was left alone, and out of most wars until a few hundred years ago, she said. There weren't any other advanced space faring races in the solar system, and our government has a long standing policy of neutrality. Can you…"

"Go further into the solar system? Sure. This is Earth. We're right about here," said Bulma, pointing to a large land mass on a mostly blue planet.

"It's mostly water, and-"

"It looks just like my planet."

"That's probably true, because your planet would have to have similar conditions that would cause evolution to produce humans, just like Earth did. Oxygen and-wait, do you mean, it looks _exactly_ like your planet?" Bulma sat up straighter, looking at Aki excitedly.

"Yes, it does. We have a moon, too. If-"

"If what?"

"If you hadn't said you'd never heard of the Eastern Empire, I'd say it was the same planet."

Bulma stared down at the confounding oblate spheroid. Then she looked at the too-thin, too wise young girl kneeling on the floor beside her.

"All right. We're not going to jump to any wild conclusions here. What we know for sure is that you're from a planet that evolved similarly to the way Earth did. And you were transported here by a devise that we don't fully understand. What exactly was it supposed to do?"

"I don't know. It was a secret. I shouldn't have even known of its existence. I was spying on a drunken scientist and he spoke of it in his ramblings. He said it would tear at the fabric of space. But it had been stolen. The next day, the rebels attacked the chief legislator's main building. I tried to stop them before they killed him. He's a good man. But I fell to them, and now here I am. I hope he escaped." Aki stared at the ground, ashamed. A man was probably dead now, and it was her fault. She should have stopped them. She should have known that it was the rebels who had stolen the device. She should have been ready.

"Aki, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known what they were planning. At least you tried. Maybe you gave him enough time to get away." Bulma put a hand on Aki's shoulder. She looked so guilty. Poor kid. She was too young to have to worry about that kind of stuff.

Aki forced the images of Senator Fuchida's mangled body from her mind. She couldn't help but imagine the worst. But she had no idea what had become of him, and there was nothing she could do for him now.

Bulma's thoughts were on what the scientist had let slip about the mysterious device. A device that would tear at the fabric of space. What did he mean by that? If it was only an instantaneous traveling device, it shouldn't tear at anything. But the void that Aki had come from looked completely unnatural, as if it had torn at the sky itself. Or the fabric of space. So something had occurred that nature definitely did not intend. There must be something that the scientist had known that Bulma did not. 

And yet, Aki spoke of Earth's galaxy like it was her own. It was the only thing that Bulma had shown her that she had shown some recognition of. And what she said about the solar system she was from did mesh with Earth's. In fact, it was almost exactly the same. A device that would tear at the fabric of space. Did that mean it would destroy the universe, like pulling a thread out of a sweater? Or would it simply change the order of things, like patches in a quilt? Maybe Aki was a new component in the quilt of Earth.

Bulma began to get excited.

Aki was afraid of the look in the woman's eyes.

"Aki, did you see if the person with the device touched something on it before you were zapped here? A button, a dial, or something. I'm wondering why you happened to come here, instead of another planet? Why Earth?" Or, Bulma thought animatedly, why _this_ Earth. Because she was almost certain that Aki was from this planet, and not some impossibly similar one. Or at least a planet that was third from the sun in the very same solar system, under a different name. She almost laughed. It was so obvious, she didn't know why she hadn't seen it before.

"I didn't see anything except the scum reach under his cloak, pull out the device, and a bright light. And then you. And that man of yours."

Bulma grinned at Aki's tone when she referred to Vegeta.

"Ah, yes. Him. Heh." Bulma had to laugh. Apparently the Vegeta in Aki's dimension had been busy. Bulma wondered if Aki had figured it out yet. Vegeta might have. It certainly had not escaped Bulma's attention that he had been staring at the girl since her arrival. She looked so like him. It must be eating him alive, Bulma thought. She imagined Vegeta's voice in her mind. 'I don't recall mating with any other humans on this miserable planet! What the hell are you talking about, woman?' But Bulma had examined both Vegeta's and Trunks' blood and DNA, not to mention their faces, so many times, she could definitely see the resemblance. Bulma decided to tell Aki her suspicions.

"Aki, you and Vegeta-"

"We're related somehow. You're right. I am of the same race as he."

"Yes, but I think it goes a little further than that. You see, Vegeta's a prince."

"He certainly acts like one."

"Yes, he does. But his entire race was wiped out by Frieza. And his home planet destroyed. Just like the prince in your story. And you couldn't have known that about him unless I'm right, and he really is your father."

"My father's dead."

"Don't get angry. I'm not saying that your father ran out on your mom. I'm saying that you're from a different dimension than the one you're in now, and the Prince Vegeta that met your mother and had you is dead, and different from the one in this dimension who came to _this_ Earth and met me."

Aki sat there silently. Everything the woman had said made sense. It explained why Vegeta had been so wary of her. It only added to what she had already guessed. And the woman had already proven herself to be very intelligent. Maybe she was right. But still…

"He has no obligation to me. And I don't want him to feel as if he does. He isn't my father."

"Well, no. And I don't think he wants to be. But you happen to have a few of his chromosomes, and saiyan blood running through your veins. I think that will mean something to him. And, Aki?"

She looked up.

"If you don't mind, I'd love it if you stayed here. You deserve a family just like everyone else. I'm so sorry about what happened to your first one. But maybe we can give you a home here. I wouldn't mind having a daughter, if you'd let me adopt you. I mean, I know you want to keep fighting your mother's fight. I can see it in your eyes. But it's just not possible, Aki. I don't know how to get you back there, and even if I did, I'm sorry, but I wouldn't let you go. From what you said, there's nothing you can do. You're only one person. So will you give it a shot?"

Aki looked away from the woman's bright blue eyes. She was being very gracious and kind. Aki knew she had no where to go, and here was a woman who understood everything, and had asked her to stay, and become part of her family. She looked back up with tear filled eyes.

"Yes, I will,…"

Bulma smiled.

"It's Bulma, Aki. My name's Bulma."

"Yes, I will stay with you, Bulma. Thank you." The tears began to fall.

Bulma embraced the sobbing girl, who stiffened, and then relaxed.

Aki hadn't been hugged in three years.

Bulma let go of her, and she immediately wiped away the evidence of her emotions. 

Bulma rolled her eyes. It was nothing to be ashamed of. If she'd gone through the myriad of emotions that Aki had that day, she'd be bawling.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked the girl.

"Sleep."

"Well, too bad. You're taking a shower. Then you can sleep. But if you're really a half saiyan, by then you'll be hungry again. Tomorrow, we'll go to the courthouse and get your adoption papers in order. You'll be Aki Briefs. Unless you want to keep your last name. What is it, anyway?"

"Kawaii. But I don't care. My mother just picked it out of a hat so no one would find us. I don't mind taking your last name."

"Okay. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Bulma took Aki's hand and pulled her up. They left the living room and went up the stairs to the bedrooms. They passed Bulma and Vegeta's room, and Trunks' room, to a room with a bed and an empty bureau. It had a closet and an adjoining bathroom. 

"Here we are. I'll get you a towel and some clothes." Bulma left Aki in her new bedroom. She sat on the bed. She felt a bit queasy. She still couldn't believe the turn of events that had placed her here, in this very spot. She genuinely liked Bulma; that emotion was unfamiliar. Until today, she had felt nothing towards another person besides respect, or fear, or annoyance, since her mother's death. She hadn't thought the war would ever end, and now it had, at least for her. 

She was free, free of the debt she had felt she had to repay to her mother. Free of the foreboding responsibility she knew she would have if the war had ended, and she had been discovered to be the direct descendant of the fallen king, and the rightful ruler. Unless of course, the rebel army had won. Then she would have been killed outright, if she was not already dead.

"Aki? I brought you some clothes. I know they're not your size, but we can go shopping tomorrow."

Aki was jarred out of her morbid thoughts by Bulma, who had returned with a towel and a sweatshirt and some pants that were a bit too big for her, but Aki was not too picky. She thanked her, and went into the bathroom. She showered and washed her hair with the sweet-smelling soap she found in the bathroom closet. When she went back into her room, she found that Bulma had turned the heat on, and the room was comfortably warm. She got dressed quickly, and as Bulma had joked about earlier, yes, she was hungry. She pulled on the shoes Bulma had given her earlier and went downstairs to the kitchen.

She saw Bulma unpacking bags of food. It smelled delicious. She tried not to salivate too much. Bulma looked up and smiled.

"Yep, I ordered some take-out. I've heard too many bad things about my cooking to subject you to it. You've already had a rough day."

Aki smiled at the self-depreciating joke and sat down at the table. Bulma had just opened a carton of rice and was about to spoon some onto Aki's plate, when Trunks ran in ahead of his father, yelling, "Yay! Dinner!"

Bulma laughed, scooping up her son in a hug. He squeezed her briefly, then grabbed a plate, beaming at her as he held it out for a serving.

Aki told Bulma to go ahead and serve him first.

Bulma filled Trunks' plate and then motioned to serve Aki next. 

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her.

Bulma ignored him, and said firmly, "Wait your turn."

Vegeta grumbled but refrained from destroying anything. His fork had seen better days, though.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Aki. Now I'll serve you, Vegeta. See, you're still alive. The thirty second delay didn't kill you, unfortunately."

"Just give me my food, woman."

Bulma sighed, and emptied the seafood platter onto Vegeta's plate, along with the chicken, broccoli, and rice. Then she began to eat her own, much smaller dinner.

She took a bite, and watched the scene before her. Aki ate her own food normally, still keeping an eye on the child next to her. She was afraid he was going to hurt himself, but he seemed to be assimilating the food just fine.

Bulma cleared her throat.

"Hey, Trunks?"

Trunks looked up at his mother with a rice covered smile.

"How would you like to have a big sister?"

Vegeta, who had just attempted to swallow several jumbo shrimp, immediately began to choke. His eyes bulged. Trunks smacked him on the back a few times, but to no avail. Bulma was torn between trying to help, and laughing out loud. She knew this was going to happen one day.

Aki put down her fork. She went behind the choking saiyan and pulled him from his seat, putting her arms around him the way she'd seen her mother do at the tavern she'd worked at, when a drunk had swallowed too much food. She made a fist just above Vegeta's middle and pushed as hard as she could. Then she did it again. On the third try, the offending food finally escaped Vegeta's gullet. He shoved her away angrily, still gasping for breath. 

"Damn…*gasp* shrimp…*hack*…"

Bulma burst out laughing.

Trunks stared at them both.

Aki went back to her seat, satisfied that her new friend's man would not die. She couldn't even face the fact that the red-faced, ungrateful oaf over there was her father. Sort of.

Vegeta got his breathing back under control, and turned to face Aki.

"I didn't need your help, girl."

Bulma stopped laughing, and grabbed Vegeta's arm.

"Hey, you. She saved your life. And she has a name."

Vegeta stared at Bulma. He couldn't believe this. She meant to make this girl part of their family. And then the little weakling had managed to save him. From rogue seafood, no less. The much smaller, more rational side of his brain reminded the arrogant, angry part of the girl's saiyan blood. And her face. Her eyes. He didn't understand how, or why, but she was… She was…

Vegeta shook Bulma off of him. He turned to Aki, who was staring at her feet, and said, 

"Thank you."

Aki looked up, surprised.

Vegeta returned to his seat, not waiting for an answer. He began to finish his food, eating slowly for once. Well, slowly for him, anyway. 

With caution. 

And he didn't even look at the shrimp.


	4. Chapter Four

Author's Note: This chapter is for nycscribe35, who wanted to see Aki interact with Gohan. Awww, we all know who _your_ favorite demi-sayian is! So you'll get your daily quota of Gohan, okay? ^__^

Disclaimer: Just because you love it to pieces doesn't make it yours. (Unless it signs a contract. See the disclaimer for Chapter Three of my story Johnny's Worst Nightmare for details. And, what the hell, while you're there, read and review.) Therefore, I don't own DBZ or any of the characters therein, except for Aki and any other characters from her world who may or may not appear in this story.

Second Chance

Chapter Four

By nycscribe46

After quite an eventful evening meal, Aki didn't quite understand what had happened after she assisted Vegeta, but there seemed to be a quiet understanding between them. She found that it was now she who was looking at him obsessively. How did he come to be so strong? She had wanted so badly to live up to her mother's expectations, but after she died, it was difficult to find work, or a way to make money outside of selling her body or stealing. Food was in short supply, and as a result she was now malnourished and underdeveloped. She knew it would be months before she could even attempt training again. Aki brightened; maybe she could find a way to get on Vegeta's good side, if he had one, and by the time she was able to train, perhaps he wouldn't mind teaching her.

But it definitely appeared that he was more angry than gratified that she had helped him. Oh well. It looked as though that was his way, and she would just have to get used to it. She wasn't complaining. Things could be, and had been, worse. She reminded herself to say a prayer of thanks before she went to sleep, as she was braiding her long, ratty hair. Then she wondered if Yahweh could hear her, so far away from her world. She decided such thoughts were blasphemous. Of course He could; He had placed her here, saving her from certain death. She was safe and warm and well fed, and she had a home.

Aki knelt beside her bed, and struggled to keep all bitterness at salvation having come too late for her mother out of her mind. She thanked Yahweh for Bulma, and her kindness; she knew what she must have looked like when Bulma found her. She figured it must have been Bulma; Vegeta probably would have stepped right over her. She thanked Yahweh for the strength He had given her to keep fighting; she knew now that she had been fighting just long enough, until He could save her. She prayed for the safety of Senator Fuchida. Then she asked Yahweh to help her people-His people-to survive the war. She prayed that a fair-minded ruler would come to power.

Aki got into bed and immediately fell into the dreamless slumber of the weary.

*~*~*

Bulma went into Aki's room the next day at 10:30 a.m. She figured that twelve hours of sleep had been enough.

"Aki? Wake up, we're going to go to the courthouse today, remember? And then we're going to go shopping!"

"Mmrrgf?" said a groggy mass of blankets.

Bulma gently pulled back the covers to reveal [Aieee!] a sleepy, bed-headed Aki.

"Welcome to the land of the living, kid. You've been out for while. I brought something for you to wear." She held up a red dress. "Want me to comb your hair?"

Aki eyed the dress thoughtfully, and nodded at Bulma's request.

Bulma unbraided Aki's hair and parted it, tsk-ing at the split ends and choppy, varied lengths.

"You need a haircut. Yet another thing on the to-do list. Well, how's this?"

Bulma had parted Aki's hair down the middle and put it into two braids on either side of her head. It made her look even younger than she was. Bulma held up a mirror, unable to convey how adorable Aki looked, even with the cuts and bruises, but then she saw the sad expression on her face.

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. My mother used to braid my hair like this. I just miss her, that's all." 

"Oh, I understand." Bulma put an arm around her.

Aki looked up at the dress in Bulma's hand.

"You don't have to wear this if you don't want to. I asked my mother if she had anything from when I was a kid, and this is what she came up with. It's been cleaned, of course-"

"I'll wear it."

Bulma was surprised; Aki definitely didn't seem to be the type that liked dresses.

"Okay, if that's what you want. Breakfast is ready downstairs, so after you get dressed, you can eat, and we'll go."

Bulma left, and closed the door behind her.

Aki stripped and put on the dress. She stared at herself in the mirror. The dress had short sleeves and went just past her knees. She could see angry red marks all over her pale, skinny limbs. Some were old; some were new, the most recent ones stitched neatly by Bulma. She looked at her face. The cut on her forehead looked awful. She had a few yellowing bruises on the side of her face.

Other than that, she looked dandy.

Aki licked her dry, cracked lips and left her room, bounding down the steps with glee. She smiled, but it hurt so she stopped. Bulma looked at her strangely. 

Amazing what a new dress can do to a girl.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Bulma walked over to the table with a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon for Aki. She set it down, and looked at Aki's happy but marred features.

"Are you in any pain at all?"

"Pain?"

Bulma gestured vaguely in Aki's direction. The girl's entire body was practically wrecked.

"No, I'm fine. Really."

Bulma shook her head.

"Still, we should get you a senzu bean. That should help. I think at least the recent scars will go away."

Aki was going to ask what a senzu bean was, but then Bulma shoved a plate of hot food under her nose. So she ate it.

They got ready to leave and had gotten as far as the living room when Bulma realized that she had forgotten her purse. And her credit cards, as well as her checkbook. Aki sat down on the couch to wait. While Bulma was upstairs, the doorbell rang. Aki stood up, but Mrs. Briefs came in from the hall to get it. Aki sat back down again, and heard a voice ask for Bulma, and Mrs. Briefs invite someone in to wait for her. Aki looked up to see a dark haired boy about her age walk in beside Mrs. Briefs, who took it upon herself to introduce them.

"Aki, this is Gohan. Such a nice boy, he came all the way over here to thank Bulma himself."

"Actually, my mom sent me," said Gohan. He looked down at the girl on the couch, who was twisting her hands about self-consciously.

Aki glanced up at him quickly, and then returned her gaze to the floor.

"And Gohan, this is Aki. She's going to be staying with us. Trunks tells me that she saved Vegeta from choking on his dinner last night!"

"Really?" asked Gohan. He sat down next to Aki on the couch. She tried not to turn away from him, even though she knew her face looked terrible. It would be rude. She didn't move, still staring straight ahead, giving Gohan a great view of her profile. He had to have noticed the bruises, cuts and burns. But he didn't say anything mean to her, to Aki's surprise. If anything, he looked sympathetic.

"Are you okay?"

Aki sighed. Well, looking like she did, what did she expect to hear? At least he cared enough to ask.

"Yes, I'm fine. And no, Vegeta didn't do this to me, although he wasn't too grateful for my help last night."

"Yeah, he's like that. But how did you get so beat up? And how did you meet Bulma?"

Aki opened her mouth, and then shut it abruptly.

"It's a long story…"

"Hi, Gohan. What's up?" Bulma had finally located her purse and came downstairs, saving Aki from having to tell the strangest story that Gohan had probably ever heard.

Gohan turned around and waved at Bulma.

"Oh, my mom wanted me to come over and thank you for those capsules you sent."

"No problem. Aki and I were about to go out." Bulma noticed how Aki wasn't quite looking at Gohan. Those two were about the same age. Aki certainly hadn't had time for dates in the middle of a war, and Gohan seldom escaped from his studies. Chi-Chi meant business. That kid really needed a break. And Aki was definitely exhibiting signs of that 'there's a cute boy in the vicinity' type of instant shyness, so Bulma decided to give things a little push.

"Hey Gohan, do you want to come with us?"

Gohan considered his options. It was either go out with Bulma or return to a steady block of algebra and earth science until mealtime.

"Okay," he said.

Aki's eyes looked like satellite dishes for a moment. Bulma almost laughed out loud.

As Aki got up from the couch, her hand touched Gohan's briefly.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"That's all right," said Gohan, who had no idea why she was apologizing.

Mrs. Briefs leaned into Bulma and whispered, "Aren't they cute?"

Bulma just grinned. This was going to be fun.

She took Aki and Gohan's arms and led them to her car.

Aki stared at it as if she'd never seen one before.

"What is that?"

Gohan looked at her strangely.

"It's a car. Haven't you seen one before? Where are you from, anyway?"

Bulma sensed Aki's discomfort.

"She's from really far away. Look, Gohan, she's been through a lot, so give her a break, okay?"

"I didn't mean anything-"

"It's all right. It isn't Gohan's fault I don't know anything about your world, Bulma. Let's just go." She got into the car after Gohan opened the door for her. He followed and shut the door.

Bulma seated herself behind the steering wheel and told them to put on their seat belts.

Aki stared blankly.

Gohan realized that if she didn't know what a car was, Aki probably didn't know what a seat belt was either. Or how to put one on.

"Let me help you with that." Gohan reached across Aki's body to get the seat belt. She blushed but didn't say anything.

Gohan fastened Aki's seat belt securely, smiling at her genially.

A small smile found its way onto Aki's face.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now where are we headed, Bulma?" asked Gohan as he put on his own seat belt. 

"First we're going to the courthouse. That might take a while, since we're going to make Aki's adoption official. Then we're going to go shopping, and get Aki's hair done. And remind me to go see Koran, so we can get Aki a senzu bean."

Gohan nodded, and then said questioningly, "Aki's adoption?"

"I'm going to adopt her."

"Oh." Gohan glanced at Aki. She didn't look too happy about it.

Aki mistook Gohan's look of concern for curiosity, and said in an emotionless monotone,

"My parents are dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My dad died three years ago. I really miss him."

" I'm sorry for your loss. I never knew my father. He died before I was born. My mother died three years ago. I miss her."

Gohan put his arm around Aki's shoulders tentatively. She allowed herself to relax. He understood her pain. She kind of leaned against him unintentionally. He let her.

No one spoke until they reached the courthouse.

Gohan stepped out of the car first, taking Aki's hand gently as she stepped out of the car. He continued to hold her hand as they went up the stairs into the building. Bulma thought this was incredibly sweet and decided not to say anything that would ruin it.

Bulma pointed to a bench just outside the notary's office and told Gohan and Aki to wait.

"Aki, I'll call you if we need you for anything, okay?"

Aki nodded, and sat down next to Gohan.

Aki still looked sad, and Gohan gave her hand a little squeeze. He assumed she was upset about her mother. He knew what that felt like, and hated to remember the day he lost his father himself. But it must be hard to try not to think about it, on the day when you're getting a new mother, legally at least.

He felt Aki squeeze his hand back, and he saw her eyes turn angry, and frustrated.

"What's wrong?"

Aki was staring at the far wall and shaking her head, as if disapproving of something that Gohan couldn't see.

"It's not fair," she said, her voice shaking.

"I know," he said compassionately.

"She was so _stupid_," Aki continued.

Gohan looked at her, confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"She died trying to save the world, and she knew it. She knew she wouldn't live to see it, and she did it anyway. She knew I needed her, but she just did what she thought was right, and it wasn't enough. And she _died_. She died for _nothing_! She couldn't stop them," and with that Aki broke down and cried. In three years, she had never cried like that. There was no war, nothing to distract her from her grief.

Gohan didn't know what to do. He just let Aki cry on his shoulder, thinking about what she had said. Her mother had died saving the world?

"When was this?" Gohan blurted out.

Aki looked up, glanced down at the huge spot she had made on Gohan's shirt, and immediately apologized, embarrassed beyond belief.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"That's okay," Gohan interrupted. "But when did your mother die trying to save the world? I think I might have noticed." It was bad enough that Hercule had taken all the credit for defeating Cell, but now it seemed like every Tom, Dick and Harry was laying a claim.

Aki wiped her eyes hastily.

"I'm not from this planet. At least, I don't think so." Bulma's theory had been a little confusing. "Um, I think Bulma said that Iftel is really Earth, but in a different dimension, and under a different name. Or something like that. My mother died three years ago, trying to fight the rebel army. They ambushed her, and she could have escaped, but she just destroyed the entire compound, while she was in it. She took out half the army and their weapons, but it was suicide. And she didn't defeat them. They came right back, and are probably taking over the throne as we speak."

"Oh. I'm sorry for asking, but my father died trying to save the world, too. There was this android called Cell who was just evil. He murdered so many people just to get stronger. It was horrible. He threatened to self-destruct and destroy the entire planet, but my dad used this technique to transport himself and Cell away from Earth just before he blew up. My dad died, but somehow Cell came back. It made me so mad."

Gohan's hands became fists, and Aki felt his energy level rise. She put a hand on his arm, and the look of rage on his face calmed.

"What happened? I mean, after Cell came back."

"Oh. Cell and I fought, and eventually I defeated him, with help from Vegeta and everybody. It wasn't easy though. I didn't know if I could do it, but I felt like my dad was there with me, and he helped me too."

"That's good. At least you avenged him. You did better than I did."

"We both did the best we could. I just got lucky, that's all. Don't feel bad, okay? I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to be sad."

Aki nodded.

"Gohan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Gohan smiled, rubbing the back of Aki's hand with his thumb.

"You're welcome."

Aki's face felt very warm, and she looked away from the boy who was caressing her hand so shamelessly.

"Aki, the notary would like to speak with you."

Bulma hated to break up such a heart-warming scene, but this was important.

"Okay." Gohan let go of Aki's hand and she walked into the office, glancing at him behind her before she was out of sight.

Gohan sat back on the bench. He knew his mom would be mad that he'd 'wasted' time that could be spent studying, but he didn't care.

It was worth it.


	5. Chapter Five

Author's Note: That might have been the most 'awww!' inspiring chapter I've ever written. I hope nycscribe35 is satisfied. Gohan is such an angel. More of that mushy stuff to come. I almost cried myself, because my husband is on leave and I miss him. *sighs* Two more weeks. Anyway, God Bless America, and on with the fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z. If I did, I would at least have a better computer. And a car that doesn't sound like it has bronchitis. And-oh, screw it. We don't have all day.

Second Chance

Chapter Five

By nycscribe46

Aki stood beside Bulma, in front of a stern looking woman behind a desk. There was a nameplate, but rather than a name, it read simply, 'NOTARY PUBLIC'. 

Apparently, this woman took her job very seriously.

"Now, Ms. Briefs, I must impress upon you the severity of the situation you are in, and the responsibility you are attempting to take upon yourself. You say this girl has no family?"

"Tell her, Aki."

Aki took a deep breath. She noticed the way that the woman was staring at her. Was it that hard to believe that someone looking like she did needed a home?

"My father died before I was born. My mother died three years ago. I've been by myself since then-"

"Homeless!" cried Bulma. 

Aki stared at her, wondering what she was up to. She'd had a place to live. She continued,

"I was beaten-"

"By a gang! Just look at her, the poor thing!" Bulma exclaimed.

"Bulma found me and took me in. She's been so kind, and she wants to take care of me. I really like her, and I would appreciate it if you would provide her with whatever documentation you feel is necessary for my adoption. Thank you."

Aki refrained from curtsying, but she felt that her mother would have been proud of her.

"I see. Well, you'll have your day in court, but until then, Miss Kawaii will have to be placed in-"

"Oh, come on! She's been through enough, does she really need to go through living in some horrible orphanage?"

The notary public narrowed her eyes.

"I mean, not that Satan City's orphanages are bad or anything…"

Aki was a little confused about something, so she spoke up.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes, Miss Kawaii?"

"Isn't the entire court process for adoption based on moving custody of the child from one person to another?"

"Extremely simplified, but yes."

"As of right now, I am in the custody of no one, because I am an orphan. I am not a ward of the state, and I am not a convict. Therefore, forced housing is against my civil rights. And the court session is merely an unnecessary formality in this case, because there really is no one to 'hand me over' to Bulma. The only way the law applies is if you insist upon making me a ward of the state, forcing this city's tax monies to feed and house someone who Bulma was willing to care for out of her own pocket, until the time when the courtroom is available. In which case, valuable time that an official presiding over said court could be spending presiding over more important cases with merit, will be spent telling Bulma that she is welcome to take me off the state's already full hands, because she can afford one more mouth to feed, and the city has to worry about far more important things than the welfare of one girl."

Aki exhaled rather loudly, and silently thanked Yahweh for both her mother's diligence and her own good memory. And then she prayed that the laws here were similar enough for her to get away with it. 

The woman adjusted her glasses.

"I see. All very valid points, Miss Kawaii. And yes, Miss Briefs is very capable of covering your expenses, seeing as Capsule Corp's budget is far larger than that of Satan City. However, if I sign these documents saying that Miss Briefs is your legal guardian, if anything were to happen to you, I would be responsible for allowing it. Who's to say that Miss Briefs did not give you those marks?"

Bulma gasped in disbelief.

"I would _never_-"

Aki stopped her.

"Yes, Bulma, I know you wouldn't. But that's not the point."

The notary public saw that Aki understood what she was saying. She decided to give her a break. After all, the girl's first assumption had been correct.

"On the other hand, Miss Kawaii, you were correct when you said that you were not yet a ward of the state. The city has no claim on you. And in order for it to, it would be an unnecessary court session to take you away from Miss Briefs, only to result in yet another one for Miss Briefs to gain custody. It would indeed save a lot of the city's time and money to give her legal custody straight away. And I can see that you're in good hands. Miss Briefs, I trust that you will not let any harm come to Miss Kawaii?"

"Of course not."

"All right then. Please sign here." The notary public held out a form. Bulma took a pen from the woman's desk and signed her name. Then the notary took the pen and signed her own name. Mrs. Benevolence. Aki smiled at that. Mrs. Benevolence took the form and put it into a copy machine. Then she gave Bulma the original and placed the copy into a file cabinet. 

"Congratulations, Miss Briefs. Do stay out of trouble."

Aki nodded, and left the notary public's office with Bulma.

Gohan stood when he saw them.

"How'd it go?"

Bulma held up the form and grinned.

"Just great. Say hello to Aki Briefs."

Aki smiled shyly at Gohan.

As they went down the steps of the courthouse, Gohan heard a crunching sound, and saw Aki grimace in pain, putting her hand to her lower back.

"Bulma, I think we should get over to Koran's now." Gohan said, looking Aki over with renewed concern.

"Okay, we'll just head back to Capsule Corp, and I'll get the hover car-"

Bulma turned around, but Gohan and Aki were already gone. She looked up and saw him flying away, holding Aki in his arms.

"Okay, _I'll_ head back to Capsule Corp. Nice job, Romeo." Bulma muttered, wishing she could fly.

Meanwhile, Aki was annoyed at herself and her stupid creaky bones. Not that she minded being held by Gohan, but she didn't want to seem as if she was constantly in need of assistance.

"I don't need your help."

Gohan looked at her incredulously.

"No offense, but I think you do." His hands were getting a little too close to Aki's rear, so he adjusted his grip.

Aki moaned in pain as Gohan's hand barely touched her lower back.

"See?" Gohan couldn't help saying. "I think you may have injured a few of your vertebrata."

"I know I did. According to Bulma, I took something like a thirty foot drop while I was unconscious."

Gohan looked at her curiously.

"How did that happen?"

"I fell out of the sky. Ask Trunks, he was there too. He has a very colorful description of it."

Aki's answers seemed to lead to more questions. Gohan was even more confused than before.

"Do you know how to fly?"

"Yes, but I'm a bit too weak for it now, so I'd appreciate it if you continued to carry me to our destination, wherever it is. Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome." Gohan could see Koran's place in the distance.

They arrived shortly, and Gohan set Aki down gently, with one hand steadying her.

Koran must have sensed them, and he and Yajirobe came over to where they were standing.

"Hey, Koran."

"Hello Gohan. Who's your friend?" asked Koran.

"This is Aki. She's Bulma's adopted daughter."

"Hello, Aki." said Koran politely. 

Yajirobe stared at Aki, and her scars, his gaze lingering on the wound on her forehead.

"What happened to you? You look you just fought an army single-handedly and lost."

"I did." Aki said darkly.

"…"

"Do you have any senzu beans for her?" Gohan asked. 

"Yes, I do. Wait a minute, and I'll get some." Koran left, giving Yaijirobe a disapproving look before he went.

Yajirobe shuffled off, muttering 'how was I supposed to know?' under his breath.

Koran returned with the senzu beans.

"Eat this," he told Aki. "It will make you feel better."

Aki did as she was told, and was surprised to find that she did feel better.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome. Bulma's daughter, are you?"

Aki nodded.

"Funny, but you look like Vegeta. Doesn't she, Gohan?"

Gohan looked closely at Aki's face. The scars were fading, and the bruises were nearly gone. Her dark eyes flicked towards him suddenly. She was pretty, but the way she was looking at him did remind him of Vegeta. He was almost afraid to answer.

"Um, yeah. Well, you do!" he said. She looked mad. But then she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I know. It's part of that 'long story' I didn't want to tell you before."

"A long story?" asked Koran. "Well, I'm not doing anything. Gohan?"

"I'd kind of like to hear it. Why do you look like Vegeta?" Gohan's brow furrowed.

"Is he… But I thought you said-"

"I did. He isn't. Not really. I'm-I'm not from around here, Gohan. Just yesterday, I was fighting a war in a completely different place. One of the soldiers who was fighting against me hit me with a beam from some kind of device that was supposed to 'tear at the fabric of space'." 

Koran's eyes widened at this. 

"I don't remember what happened after that. Bulma says that she and Trunks were outside, and they saw the sky break up and I fell out of a black void or something. They brought me inside, and that's when I woke up. Bulma thinks that the machine is some kind of dimensional transport device, and that my planet is really Earth, but different. I think she could be right. I mean, she showed me this map, and my planet is also the third from the sun in its solar system, with eight other planets, and the galaxy is the same as well. There's no way for me to get back there, though. Not without the device."

Aki bit her lip. Was she being selfish? She didn't want to go back. On Iftel she had nothing. On Earth, she had a friend. A family. A home to go to.

"Well, that explains the busted vertebrata," muttered Gohan. 

Koran murmured in understanding.

"I see, Aki. You don't have to say any more. Do you understand, Gohan?"

Gohan shook his head.

"Aki is from Earth, and yet she is not. Vegeta is her father, and yet he is not. Is that what you were trying to say?" Koran asked her.

Aki nodded, relieved.

Gohan was still confused.

"Huh?"

Koran sighed.

"The universe is far too big for your comprehension, Son Gohan. Aki is from another dimension, from a planet exactly like Earth, only different. Obviously there is no war going on here. Circumstances must have brought Vegeta there, just as they drew him to Earth in our dimension. What became of him, if I may ask?"

"He died. I never knew him."

"That's too bad. Well, you'll get to know the one we have here."

"Oh, joy," muttered Aki.

Suddenly they all heard a puttering noise from outside.

"Hey, it's Bulma!"

Bulma put her flying vehicle in neutral.

"Gee, guys, thanks for waiting-Hey, Aki, you look great!"

Aki beamed.

"Thanks for your help, Koran," said Gohan, who had a slightly better understanding of where Aki had come from, and how she had gotten to Earth, thanks to Koran.

"No problem," replied Koran.

Bulma called Aki and Gohan to the hover car.

"I think it might be just a tad less inconspicuous if you guys were to come in here with me, rather than fly over to the shopping district."

Gohan put an arm around Aki, who decided not to mention that she felt good enough to fly just yet, and they floated over to Bulma.

As they got into the car, Gohan asked Aki, 

"How does your back feel?"

"Great. Just great."

Bulma flew them to a popular clothing store for teenage girls in minutes. She parked right in front of it. Gohan looked up at the big, prominent 'NO PARKING' sign.

"Uh, Bulma, I don't think you can park here," he said.

"Watch me," she said. She got out of the car. Aki and Gohan glanced at each other and followed.

A thin man in shiny vinyl clothing came out of the store in a huff.

"Excuse you, but you can't park-ohmigod, you're Bulma. Bulma Briefs. Did you come here to go shopping in _my_ store?"

Bulma nodded, barely hiding a grin. Sometimes it was good to be a rich, beautiful, highly recognizable genius.

"Oh, please forgive my rudeness, Ms. Briefs. Bulma. Can I call you Bulma?"

"Sure." They walked into the store. Aki snickered at the man's change of heart once he realized how wealthy Bulma was.

"You can park wherever you want. You can have whatever you want. Would you like to see our latest fashions?"

"Actually, I came to buy clothes for her." Bulma grabbed Aki's arm.

The man looked at her, probably going through what new clothes they had that would match her color chart and season.

"My daughter." Bulma smiled at her. Aki smiled back.

The man's eyes became dollar signs.

"Oh, we're going to take _good_ care of you, my dear," he said to Aki. He practically dragged her over to a clothes rack.

"You'd better," said Bulma. Then she looked at Gohan.

"This might get pretty boring for you, Gohan. You don't have to stick around."

Gohan shrugged. His stomach growled.

"Say, Bulma, what time is it?"

"About 12:30. Why?"

"I'm a little hungry," Gohan replied. He looked over at Aki, and saw the delight on her face as the man placed yet another dress in front of her.

"But I can wait."

Aki excused herself, and handed the man all of the clothes that she liked. He went to the register with them happily.

"Bulma?"

"Yes, Aki? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, but I don't understand the prices, and I don't know what everything costs-"

"Don't worry about it. Did you get socks and underwear and stuff?"

"Um, no."

"Good. Unless you actually want to wear that." Bulma pointed at a magenta and orange tiger striped lingerie set. Next to a display of turquoise and forest green striped socks. Beside a large sign proclaiming them 'in-store designs'.

Aki shuddered in horror.

"I mean, the clothes are all right," Bulma went on, "because they're imported. But that guy goes a little nuts when it comes to designing stuff. That's just disgusting."

Gohan's stomach growled menacingly.

"That, on the other hand, is a cry for help. Don't worry, Gohan. We'll be leaving in a minute. I just have to pay for this stuff, and we'll go have lunch."

Aki smiled at Gohan, who blushed. Well, he was hungry…

Bulma handed the man a platinum card. He all but drooled.

Aki watched him slide the card through a machine.

"Is that money?" she asked Gohan.

"Kind of. It's credit. It removes money from an account Bulma has, and transfers it to an account for the store. It's all computerized."

"Ah," said Aki. Much more convenient than counting out pieces of gold and copper, she thought.

Bulma tugged the card from the man's hands.

"Do come again!" he cried.

"Yeah, right." muttered Bulma.

They left the store and decided to walk to the nearest restaurant before Gohan's stomach threatened to deafen them all with its sounds of attempted self-digestion.

When they were given their menus, Gohan glanced at Bulma. She assured him that it was her treat, and he proceeded to order one of everything on the menu. 

He must be a saiyan, Aki thought. Out loud she asked,

"Gohan, what was your father's name?"

"Son Goku. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that you must be a saiyan; you ordered quite a bit of food there. But Vegeta said the only saiyans left were him and his family, and the children of someone called Kakarot."

Bulma laughed.

"That's just what Vegeta calls Goku. Gohan's a saiyan, all right. Just wait till the food arrives. You'll see."

Aki had no doubt that she would. 


	6. Chapter Six

6 

Three waiters with wheeled trays arrived, unsure of the destination that they had been given.

''Table for three, right?'' said the young blond haired one tentatively.

''You've got the right table,'' Gohan assured him. ''Just unpack as many entrees as you can.''

''Oookay,'' muttered a more experienced waiter. ''All right then. Two Caesar salads with minestrone soup and breadsticks for the ladies, right?'' 

Bulma and Aki nodded.

''And,'' he took a deep breath, ''stuffed shells, lasagna, fettucine alfredo, vermicelli in clam sauce, spaghetti with meatballs, chicken parmigian, veal parmigian, eggplant parmigian, baked ziti, and just about every other dish we've got to offer, for the ambitious young gentleman over here."

Gohan grinned sheepishly. ''Heh, heh, I think I'll start with the pasta, sir. I'm really hungry, so if you don't mind..."

The waiter rolled his eyes and unloaded three of Gohan's entrees as the other waiters served Aki and Bulma. Aki ate a few breadsticks and some soup, but felt that she wasn't really very hungry. Gohan noticed this and commented between bites,

"You're not hungry, huh? That's because of the senzu beans(gulp).'' He continued to mow his way through his lunch, as the waiter swiped the empty plates and replaced them with full ones.

''Wow. This kid wasn't kidding,'' murmured the waiter. The other two waiters just stared in dumbstruck silence until their supervisor shouted for them to get back to work. They hastily ran back to the kitchen, while the other waiter continued to stack empty platters. Bulma finished her soup and salad, and waited patiently for Gohan to finish eating.

''Here you go. Thanks for your help,'' she said, handing the waiter a fat tip. 

''No problem. How will you be paying for this, ma'am, cash or credit?''

Bulma cringed at the title 'ma'am' but said in a tight voice, ''Credit.'' She handed him her platinum card. Aki handed Gohan a napkin. He smiled and quickly wiped the sauce from his mouth.

"Ah, much better. So, what are we going to do now?'' Gohan asked.

''We're going to the hair salon so Aki can get a hair cut. The shop we went to earlier is having Aki's clothes delivered, so we don't have to worry about that. I've got about three hours before I have to make an appearance at Capsule Corp.'s developmental board, so I'll just drop you off before then, okay, Gohan?'

''Okay,'' Gohan replied, trying not to think about how his mother was going to react when he finally showed up. Well, at least Bulma would be there. Maybe the news about Aki's arrival and subsequent adoption would be enough to distract her from Gohan's tardiness. 

Yeah, right.

The waiter returned with Bulma's credit card, and just as they reached Bulma's car, Gohan noticed a man with a camera following them.

''Hey, Bulma, do you know that guy? I think he's a reporter!''

''What! Where?'' Bulma turned around just in time to catch a flash bulb, and someone darting around a corner. Realizing that the car was still parked in front of that clothing store, Bulma deduced what must have happened. 

''That store owner must have been pretty desperate for publicity. I can't believe he actually called a tabloid photographer. Oh, let's just go to the hair salon. I'm sure we'll be hearing about that again soon.''

Aki was confused.

''What just happened, exactly?'' she asked Gohan as they got into the car.

''A photographer took a picture of us without asking. It's not illegal, but it's annoying.''

''It should be illegal,'' muttered Bulma, ''especially before 10:00 a.m.''

''Why?'' asked Aki and Gohan simultaneously. Bulma sighed.

''I guess I'm the only one here who isn't a morning person. Because unless I have a meeting, I usually look like something the cat dragged in.'' Aki snorted, imagining Bulma being dragged around by a tiny black cat, as they pulled into a parking space near a beauty salon.

''This is it. The best salon in town. Everybody out.'' Aki and Gohan followed Bulma into the salon. Bulma was immediately embraced by a man who was so beautiful that Aki thought he was a woman at first.

''Bulma! Hi! You're back so soon! We just saw each other last week! Bored already?'' the man said in a heavily accented voice.

''No, no. I love my hair, Jacque. I'm not here for myself. I'd like to introduce you to someone. Jacque, this is my adopted daughter Aki. Aki, this is Jacque-'' Bulma had barely finished her introductions before Jacque had swept Aki into a bone-crushing hug. Aki was so completely enveloped by the man that all Bulma could see of her was her hair and her wide brown eyes. Bulma held in a giggle with some effort.

''Bulma's daughter! I did not know Bulma had a daughter!'' cried the Frenchman. ''Oh look at you! You are so beautiful! It will be a pleasure to cut your hair! Come, come!'' And he hustled her into a styling chair. Bulma smiled and sat down in one of the waiting chairs and motioned for Gohan to join her. He seemed to be staring fixedly upon the cover of one of the magazines on the table.

''What are you looking at, kid?'' Bulma glanced at the periodical. ''Oh, no. Don't read that garbage. It makes me sick. Just-Gohan, why are you doing this to yourself?'' Gohan had stumbled upon one of the many articles praising Hercule for his heroic defeat of the evil android Cell. He shook his head and looked at Bulma instead.

''I don't care. Really. It doesn't matter. I wouldn't want all of those reporters bothering me anyway. Let Hercule get all the credit. At least I can live my life in peace.'' He sat down next to Bulma and tilted his head upwards, closing his eyes. Bulma decided to let Gohan be, and watched Jacque and Aki.

Jacque unbraided Aki's hair and combed it out to determine length. His eyes widened when he saw the sorry state of her hair, but all he said was, ''Well! You have come to the right place, petit. I am going to have to cut much, but I will try to preserve as much length as possible, okay? You like your hair long, right?'' Aki nodded, still mesmerized by the man's fine bone structure and long, glossy blond hair. 

''Yes, that's fine.''

''Okay! We start with a shampoo and deep conditioner. To the sink!'' He took Aki's hand and led her to a special sink with a space cut out for her neck to rest upon. Aki sat down, and in a matter of moments, felt the shock of cold water on her head, the soothing feeling of warm water, and then, the completely unexpected euphoria that comes from a good scalp massage. And that was only the shampoo.

Jacque is the master. 

Ten minutes later, a pink-faced Aki emerged from the sink area, so disoriented that she didn't know which chair she was supposed to sit in. Jacque chuckled and steered her toward his styling chair with a wink at one of his co.-workers.''First time,'' he mouthed at one of the other stylists, who tittered in response.

''Okay, now we're going to cut it,'' Jacque sang, as he parted Aki's hair down the middle, and spun her around so that she was facing the mirror. He got out his trusty scissors, combed her hair out twice, and started cutting. Large chunks of hair were falling like autumn leaves. Aki closed her eyes. Jacque murmured reassuringly in her ear.

''It's all right, petit. I know what I'm doing. You're going to look fine. See?'' He made one last snip, and Aki opened her eyes. Her hair was still wet, and clung to her face in places, but it wasn't as short as she thought it would be. She sighed in relief. Jacque laughed and patted her on the back.

''Now time for the hair dryer. Then it's all over, until next month when you come in for a trim. You will remind your mother, yes?'' Aki nodded, eyes glued to the unfamiliar aparatus in Jacque's hand. He plugged it in and turned it on so close to Aki's ear that she jumped, as it roared to life.

''Sit still,'' Jacque said gently, as he combed and dried Aki's hair at the same time to combat tangles. Aki cringed at the heat, but tried not to move too much. She held in a laugh as she watched Bulma trying to wake Gohan up in the mirror. Jacque fussed with her hair some more; it was almost dry, but he wasn't sure how he wanted it to look. He tried parting it on the side, and seemed satisfied with that. It was dry at last, and Aki was free to fidget around as she liked.

''Great job, Jacque. I love it. Don't you, Gohan? Gohan!'' Bulma elbowed him until he showed some signs of life.

''Um...'' Gohan glanced up at Aki, who was looking at her own reflection with some trepidation. ''It looks nice.'' 

''Thanks,'' Aki said faintly. She hardly recognized herself.

After receiving his payment, and delivering hugs to Aki and Bulma[Gohan said no thanks], Jacque bid them all a very fond farewell, and they set out to take Gohan back home. 

''Good. We're right on schedule,'' said Bulma, as she directed the vehicle out of the city limits. ''We've got plenty of time to drop Gohan off, and have a little chat with Chi-Chi, too. That's Gohan's mom, Aki. She's a real piece of work, that one. Hey, Gohan? When's the last time we saw each other, not counting today?''

Gohan's brow furrowed.''Um, Trunks' birthday party?''

''Yes! That was six months ago! And by the time I said, 'Hey guys, don't be a stranger,' you were already gone! Back home to study until your cranium explodes.''

''That would not happen, Bulma,'' said Gohan nervously. Would it? I haven't gotten that far in Biology...

''I think it's nice that your mother worries about your future,'' Aki said hesitantly. ''It means she cares about you.''

''I know,'' Gohan agreed, ''but sometimes I feel like a prisoner. I mean, look at that forest down there. Sometimes I just want to go there and relax, and leave my books in my room.''

Aki looked out the window. She saw a lush forest, filled with animals, with a river slicing through it. She'd lived in a mountain village where the only greenery was what you grew in your plot.

''I want to go there too.''

Aki and Gohan watched the birds, and other large flying creatures that Aki didn't recognize, until Bulma announced:

''Almost there, guys, just looking for a nice flat area to land and-hoo boy, here comes Chi-Chi. You didn't promise her you'd come right back or anything, did you Gohan?''

Gohan swallowed, but didn't say anything.

The nearer the vehicle got to the ground, the larger the figure outside the modest house appeared. Aki stared out the window, curious about the woman who had brought Gohan into the world.

Well, she was very pretty.

And mad. That, too.

Bulma landed the aircraft, and they climbed out of the cockpit. Gohan did so a bit slower than he normally would. 

Chi-Chi marched right up to him and shouted,''WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? IT HAS BEEN FIVE HOURS SINCE YOU LEFT! NO PHONE CALL, NOTHING! IF YOU HAD JUST ASKED-''

''You would have said no!'' interrupted Bulma. Ignoring the look of fury on Chi-Chi's face, she continued, ''I only took him out to lunch. It's no big deal.''

''No big deal! He could have been studying-''

''He's got the rest of his life to study-''

''And you can bet that's what he'll be doing! Not out getting into fights like his father-'' Chi-Chi stopped ranting abruptly and buried her face in her hands.

''Oh, Mom, don't cry,'' Gohan said sadly. He put his arms around her. ''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry-''

''It's all right, Gohan. I'm okay.'' She looked up at him. ''I'm only trying to protect you, you know. Nothing bad can happen to you if you're home studying.''

''Nothing fun either,'' muttered Bulma.

''Studying can be fun,'' said Aki, hoping to get on Chi-Chi's good side.

''Yes, that's right, er-who is this?'' said Chi-Chi in surprise.

''This is Aki, my adopted daughter. Aki, this is Chi-Chi,'' said Bulma, smiling. She knew what Aki was up to, and hoped she could keep it up.

''It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Son,'' said Aki politely.

''Yes, of course. Why don't you all come in?'' said Chi-Chi, taking in the nice dress and hair cut, as well as the impeccable manners. Bulma smirked and followed them inside. Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. It was all over.

''Tell me about yourself, Aki,'' said Chi-Chi, as she poured her a cup of tea. ''How did you come to be adopted by Bulma?''

Aki looked at Bulma. Her eyes said Let me handle this.

''Poor Aki here is an orphan. Her parents were both martial artists-'' Chi-Chi's eyes widened. ''but she's not like them. How could she be, when they abandoned her like that? Aki wants to be a scholar, don't you Aki?'' Aki nodded vigorously. Bulma continued, ''But with schools these days, more fighting than studying-'' Chi-Chi shuddered in fear. ''I can see why you keep Gohan home-schooled. I'm afraid that with my busy schedule at Capsule Corp., I wouldn't have time to tutor her. But she could study with Gohan!''

Aki tried not to look too excited at this prospect. Gohan looked hopeful. Chi-Chi looked suspicious.

''Under your supervision, of course,'' Bulma added hastily. ''I mean, you are known for being quite the taskmaster, Chi-Chi. You could have been an incredible teacher, if you hadn't opted for being an excellent mother.''

''Flattery will get you nowhere, Bulma,'' Chi-Chi said dryly.

''Rats.''

''Although...'' Chi-Chi had often seen herself as the guide along the path of scholarship for Gohan. As long as it wouldn't detract from his studies, she could help Aki as well. The girl looked so desperate-wait, was that desperation, or cunning? With the blood of two martial artists running through her veins, one couldn't be too sure...

''Aki, do you think you can be as dedicated to your studies as my Gohan?'' Chi-Chi asked with a measuring look in her eye.

''Oh yes, definitely. Gohan is so smart and knowledgeable, I knew from the moment I first spoke to him that he had been receiving a fine education, far surpassing my own. I would be honored to learn the arts and sciences under your roof, Mrs. Son.'' Aki beamed adorably. Bulma coughed delicately into her palm, artfully disguising her mirth.

Chi-Chi was speechless. Finally she snapped out of it, and said,''Well, I guess it's all right if you study with Gohan.'' Almost sure that she had just been had, Chi-Chi turned around to see a cranky three-year old who had just woken up from his nap a bit early.

''Hey, Goten!'' called Gohan. Immediately the little boy cheered up, running across the room to hug his brother's legs.

''Gohan! Where did you go?''

''I went over to Bulma's, remember?''

''Oh yeah. But you missed lunch! Mom made macaronis! I ate yours, sorry.''

''That's okay, Goten. I already ate. Hey, there's someone here for you to meet. Goten, this is Aki. She's my friend, and we're going to be studying together.''

Goten's eyes filled with tears.

''Are you going to leave every day now?''

''No, no. I'm going to be coming over to your house, Goten. Gohan isn't going anywhere, okay? Don't cry,'' Aki said to the little boy.

''Wasn't gonna cry,'' protested Goten.

''Okay, big guy,'' teased Gohan. Goten made a face that was supposed to be mean, but came out looking even cuter than usual. Everyone laughed, and Goten pouted.

''Oh, I wish we could stay longer, but I've really got to go. It takes about an hour to get back to Capsule Corp. at top speed, and I've got a board meeting at five. Let's go, Aki,'' said Bulma. They went outside, Gohan and Goten following them to the hover car.

Aki turned to Gohan.''I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, then,'' she said, smiling.

''Yes, but how will you get here?'' Gohan asked.

''I could-jeez, that's two hours there and back,'' Bulma realized.

Gohan thought for a moment.''Aki, you could take the flying Nimbus! Just tell it you want to go to my house, and it'll get you here really fast.''

''The flying what?''

''It's easy. All you have to do is call out 'Nimbus' and it'll come. Watch. Hey, Nimbus!'' Gohan called. Soon a yellow cloud could be seen descending above their heads. Goten laughed and pointed at it. Aki stared, fascinated. It stopped right in front of Gohan. He took Aki's hand.

''Have a seat. If you're pure of heart, you can ride it.'' Gohan sat down on it and tried to pull Aki down beside him. Aki thought about the rebel soldiers who she had dispatched to Yahweh, and pulled back. True, they had been trying to kill her, but still...

''No, thanks.''

''Come on, Aki. I know you're a good person. Give it a try.'' She sighed, and sat down, fully expecting the cloud to fly away screaming. Nothing happened. The cloud bore her weight with ease.

''See? I told you. Up, Nimbus!''

"Hey, I wanna come too!'' cried Goten. Gohan laughed and grabbed his little brother as the cloud rose. Bulma shouted from the ground.

''Hey! Unless you're gonna fly home on that thing, we've got to go! I'm gonna be late to my meeting!''

''Down, Nimbus,'' Gohan said reluctantly. The cloud obeyed, and brought them down to the ground in front of Bulma. Aki hopped off the cloud and scampered into the car before Bulma could say anything more. Bulma sighed and got behind the steering wheel.

''Bye, Gohan! Bye Goten! See you tomorrow!'' Aki said happily, as she waved from the back seat. They waved back, and watched the hover car fly away until it was out of sight. Gohan and Goten went back inside, Goten to go play with his blocks, Gohan to sit in the kitchen and endure a long talk with Chi-Chi that started out like this:

''Now, Gohan, you're a young man now. Aki is a very nice girl, but you two are only going to be studying. I don't want any hanky-panky going on, do you hear me? That bedroom door is to be open at all times, understand?''

''What?!?''

''You know what I mean. Don't you? Oh, goodness. I have to explain. Okay, Gohan, when a man and a woman-''

''No, wait!''

''Hold on, Gohan. I want to make sure you understand what's going on here."

''That's just it, Mom! Nothing's going on here!'

''Not yet. And I'm going to keep it that way. Now where was I? Oh, yes. When a man and a woman-''

''Mom!''

Meanwhile, back in the hover car...

''So, Aki, how do you like the new arrangements? You can spend the days studying and hanging out with Gohan, and come home for dinner and tell me all about it.'' Aki smiled.

"It sounds like fun,'' she said, her own voice sounding unfamiliar to her; almost strange, because she was so happy.

"I'm just glad I managed to find a way to get you out of the house, and still be around people you know. I mean, I don't think people in public school would be too kind to someone who wasn't from around here, if you know what I mean. At least you won't be home with Vegeta all day. He'd probably try to get you to train with him or something.'' Bulma laughed at the thought.

Aki's smile faded. She had wanted to train with Vegeta. She'd completely forgotten about it. Of course, in the state she'd previously been in, training would have been impossible. But after consuming those senzu beans, she felt like she was at her full strength. Better, even. But she'd already agreed to resume her studies with Gohan. But she still really, really wanted to train.

It looked like she still had some choices to make.

*~*~*

Whew! That was a wild ride. And it's only going to get better. In honor of nycscribe46's triumphant return to the world of fanfiction, there is going to be a Choose Your Own Adventure style chapter this time around. If you think Aki should study with Gohan, say so in your review. If you think she should blow Gohan off and train with Vegeta, tell me, and if you think she should be nice about it and tell him first, and still go and train with Vegeta, let me know. I will see which option gets the most votes and pen the next chapter accordingly. If there's a tie, I'll pick the one I want to write. You've got three weeks. Go forth and review! 

Thanks to Dark Samurai Vegeta, for pestering me to get this chapter out. Your annoying reviews really inspired me to write, but it wasn't until my aunt gave me this old second hand 6 GB computer that I was actually able to do it.


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